Friday, May 25, 2012
Euro 2012: squad report 5/25/12
Well, after my last mammoth update I have been packing up to return home from college. However, here is probably my last post before I go on break! Here we go. In the run-up to the Euro 2012 competition, Poland are stilling waiting to hear the status of two of their goalkeepers Przemysław Tyton and Lukasz Fabianski. Veteran Jerzy Dudek has also come back to the side Otherwise, they are looking ready to go! Russia meanwhile have been testing goalkeepers with Vyacheslav Malafeev playing in net in Russia's friendly with Uruguay (which ended 1-1) instead of Igor Akinfeev. Marat Izmailov also had his chance in the place of injured Alan Dzagoev though we'll see how he fares in the future. On to the Republic of Ireland who will be fielding a roster of hopefuls in their upcoming friendly match against Bosnia-Herzegovina. This includes the likes of James McClean, Darron Gibson, Keiren Westwood, Paul McShane, as well as Richard Dunne and Sean St Ledger. The latter two carry niggling injuries while Shay Given, Kevin Foley and John O’Shea have suffered more substantial ailments that will keep them out of the friendly at least.Greece's squad seems to be coming together quite nicely with no outstanding injuries to add and the team itself working at a paced, smart game ahead of their group of Russia, the Czech Republic, and Poland. In regards to the larger picture, Robbie Keane will be ready for duty at the Euros despite an injury he picked up playing at the MLS's LA Galaxy. As for Portugal they are looking forward to friendly matches with Macedonia and Turkey while SC Braga's Miguel Lopes looks to be worse-for-the-wear for that match; hopes are that he will have recovered for the big event. On to one of their competitors at the championships: Denmark! They'll be seeing the skills of Thomas Kahlenberg on the field following his move to French football though otherwise there isn't much to tell. And the Czech Republic are also looking better and better with Tomas Rosicky approaching complete fitness and Jaroslav Plasil back into his normal training regime. Back-up keeper Jaroslav Drobny also appears to be recovered for the most part. Both Germany and France are getting into their paces with just about the whole of both teams assembled respectively. Sweden on the other hand will be missing John Guidetti after he suffered an inflamed nerve that puts him out for the competition. Luckily for them, captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic is ready for duty! The Netherlands are still gathering their troops as one by one they join from various periods of rest following quite the eventful club season. England are in worse shape as potential keeper John Ruddy found out that his broken finger will not allow him to compete in the Euro Cup. Jack Butland of Birmingham City will take his position in the line-up. Spain are influx as several stars compete tonight in the Copa del Ray (Gerard Pique, Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, and Javi Martinez) while others have been benched due to injury (Villa for instance). Co-hosts Ukraine are preparing for an intense set of friendlies with Estonia, Austria, and Turkey all facing the side before the tournament. Last but not least, Italy tested out the likes of Sebastian Giovinco, Antonio Di Natale, Fabio Borini, and Antonio Cassano in a 6-0 victory against Serie D club Virtus Vecomp Verona: a good result though one that was expected.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Euro Cup 2012: Predictions
On Paper
11) FIFA Rankings (last four months) (UEFA
individual/team statistics)
i)
Group A
a)
Russia: 12
b)
Greece: 13.8
c)
Czech Republic: 28.2
d)
Poland: 68.6
ii)
Group B
a)
Germany: 2.4 (Tied highest assister: Ozil)
(Most attempts on-target: team)
b)
Netherlands: 3 (Highest goal-scorer:
Huntelaar) (Most goals thus far: team)
c)
Portugal: 6 (Most attempts on-target: Ronaldo)
d)
Denmark: 10.2
iii)
Group C
a)
Spain: 1 (Most attempts off-target: Villa;
apparently, due to injury Villa won’t be able to make the tournament itself)
b)
Croatia: 8.6
c)
Italy: 10 (Fewest goals allowed thus far:
team)
d)
Republic of Ireland: 19.6
iv)
Group D
a)
England: 6
b)
France: 16
c)
Sweden: 17.2 (Tied highest assister:
Kallstrom)
d)
Ukraine: 52.2
22) Castrol Simulator (Attack-Defense) (Likelihood
of success)
i)
Group A
a)
Poland: 56.7% likely to progress out of the
Group Stage (Over-hyped)
b)
Czech Republic: 54% likely to progress out of
the Group Stage (Should qualify)
c)
Russia: 48.4% likely to progress out of the
Group Stage (May actually qualify)
d)
Greece: 40.9% likely to progress out of the
Group Stage (Least likely to succeed)
ii)
Group B
a)
Netherlands: 69.2% likely to progress out of
the Group Stage
b)
Germany: 58.4% likely to progress out of the
Group Stage
c)
Portugal: 48.5% likely to progress out of the
Group Stage
d)
Denmark: 23.9% likely to progress out of the
Group Stage (Least likely to succeed)
iii)
Group C
a)
Spain: 80.1% likely to progress out of the
Group Stage
b)
Italy: 46.9% likely to progress out of the
Group Stage
c)
Croatia: 41.7% likely to progress out of the
Group Stage
d)
Republic of Ireland: 31.3% likely to progress
out of the Group Stage (Least likely to succeed)
iv)
Group D
a)
England: 64.1% likely to progress out of the
Group Stage
b)
Ukraine: 49.2% likely to progress out of the
Group Stage (Will be close)
c)
France: 45% likely to progress out of the
Group Stage (Will be close)
d)
Sweden: 41.7% likely to progress out of the
Group Stage (Least likely to succeed)
v)
Quarter-Finals
a)
Germany – Poland: Germany 70% likely to
progress
b)
Spain – Ukraine: Spain 72% likely to progress
c)
Netherlands – Czech Republic: Netherlands 71%
likely to progress
d)
England – Italy: England 58% likely to
progress
vi)
Semi-Finals
a)
Germany – Spain: Spain 57% likely to progress
b)
Netherlands – England: Netherlands 55% likely
to progress
vii)
Final
a)
Spain – Netherlands: Spain 53% likely to win
33) Statistical significance: +5-10(%) (See 1)
above)
i)
Group A
a)
Russia, Greece
b)
Czech Republic, Poland
ii)
Group B
a)
Germany, Netherlands, Portugal
b)
Denmark
iii)
Group C
a)
Spain
b)
Croatia, Italy
c)
Republic of Ireland
iv)
Group D
a)
England
b)
France, Sweden
c)
Ukraine
44) Through the matches (2012 performance up to
5/22/12)
i)
Group A
a)
Poland – Greece: Poland wins.
Poland
– Russia: Russia wins.
Poland
– Czech Republic: Czech Republic wins.
Russia
– Czech Republic: Russia wins.
Russia
– Greece: Russia wins.
Czech
Republic – Greece: Czech Republic wins.
b)
Russia: 9
Czech
Republic: 6
Poland:
3
Greece:
0
ii)
Group B
a)
Netherlands – Denmark: Netherlands wins.
Germany
– Portugal: draw.
Germany
– Denmark: Germany wins.
Germany
– Netherlands: Germany wins.
Netherlands
– Portugal: Netherlands wins.
Portugal
– Denmark: Portugal wins.
b)
Germany: 7
Netherlands:
6
Portugal:
3
Denmark:
0
iii)
Group C
a)
Spain – Italy: Spain wins.
Spain
– Ireland: Spain wins.
Spain
– Croatia: Spain wins.
Italy
– Croatia: draw.
Italy
– Ireland: Italy wins.
Croatia
– Ireland: Croatia wins.
b)
Spain: 9
Croatia:
4 (leads on goal difference)
Italy:
4
Ireland:
0
iv)
Group D
a)
Sweden – Ukraine: Sweden wins.
Sweden
– England: draw.
Sweden
– France: France wins.
Ukraine
– England: England wins.
Ukraine
– France: France wins.
France
– England: France wins.
b)
France: 9
Sweden:
4 (leads on goal difference)
England:
4
Ukraine:
0
v)
Quarter-finals
a)
Russia – Netherlands: Netherlands
b)
Spain – Sweden: Spain
c)
Germany – Czech Republic: Germany
d)
France – Croatia: France
vi)
Semi-Finals
a)
Netherlands – Spain: Spain
b)
Germany – France: Germany
vii)
Final
a)
Spain – Germany: Germany
55) Statistical significance: +5-10(%) Castrol (See
2) above)
i)
Group A
a)
Poland
b)
Russia, Czech Republic
c)
Greece
ii)
Group B
a)
Netherlands, Germany
b)
Portugal
c)
Denmark
iii)
Group C
a)
Spain
b)
Italy, Croatia
c)
Republic of Ireland
iv)
Group D
a)
England
b)
Ukraine, France, Sweden
66) ESPN human analysis
i)
Group A
a)
Russia and Greece qualify
b)
Czech Republic and Poland are out
ii)
Group B
a)
Germany and Netherlands qualify
b)
Portugal and Denmark are out
iii)
Group C
a)
Spain and Italy qualify
b)
Croatia and the Republic of Ireland are out
iv)
Group D
a)
France and Sweden qualify
b)
England and Ukraine are out
v)
Quarter-Finals (with technological
play-through)
a)
Russia – Netherlands: Netherlands win.
b)
Spain – Sweden: Spain wins.
c)
Germany – Greece: Germany wins.
d)
France – Italy: France wins.
vi)
Semi-Finals (with technological play-through)
a)
Netherlands – Spain: Spain wins.
b)
Germany – France: Germany wins.
vii)
Final (with technological play-through)
a)
Germany – Spain: Germany wins it all.
77) ESPN Soccer Power Index
i)
Group A *** Poland and Czech Republic are very
close; even Russia might see a challenge qualifying ***
a)
Russia and Poland qualify
b)
Czech Republic and Greece are out
ii)
Group B
a)
Germany and Netherlands qualify
b)
Portugal and Denmark are out
iii)
Group C *** Croatia and Italy are very close
***
a)
Spain and Croatia qualify
b)
Italy and Ireland are out
iv)
Group D *** Sweden, Ukraine, and France are
kind of close ***
a)
England and Sweden qualify
b)
Ukraine and France are out
88) Significant factors:
i)
Ukraine
a)
Goalkeepers Andriy Dykan and Olexandr
Shovkovskiy both probably are out of the line-up for the crucial position.
ii)
Sweden
a)
Johan Elmander should be set for the
competition though John Guidetti seems to have missed his chance.
iii)
Spain
a)
Both David Villa and Carles Puyol face the
risk of missing the competition due to injury.
iv)
Russia
a)
Alan Dzagoev, Sergei Ignashevich, and Vasili
Berezutski all face steep fitness challenges if they plan on participating in
the competition.
v)
Republic of Ireland
a)
James McCarthy has cited personal reasons as
to why he will not be able to participate in the competition.
vi)
Portugal
a)
Hugo Viana has been left out of the 23-man competition
squad, the only player to have thus far fallen out of contention.
vii)
Poland
a)
Sebastian Boenisch and Ireneusz Jelen will
both be hoping to make it into the final roster.
viii)
Netherlands
a)
Erik Pieters has been ruled out of the
competition squad following an unfortunate foot injury.
ix)
Italy
a)
Giorgio Chiellini will be hoping to recover
quickly following an injury in Juventus’ final league match of the season.
Giuseppe Rossi will also be out after his cruciate ligament tear flared back
up.
x)
Greece
a)
In Greece’s provisional 25-man squad Nikos
Liberopoulos snubbed Stefanos Athanasiadis for a spot. Michalis Sifakis, Kostas
Chalkias and Alexandros Tzorvas will be the available goalies most likely while
the arguably more successful Orestis Karnezis of Panathinaikos was left out. Vassilis
Torossidis, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Giannis Maniatis should also make
appearances.
xi)
Germany
a)
In the 27-man provisional squad list, Cacau
appears to have maintained his position while the only addition appears to have
been Schalke’s Julian Draxler.
xii)
France
a)
While Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and Hatem Ben Afra
have been included in the provisional French squad, there are several players
who might not be: Loic Remy, Bacary Sagna, and Younes Kaboul.
xiii)
England
a)
While Chris Smalling has been declared unfit
for service after a groin injury, Jack Wilshere has had similar issues of
fitness. Having said that, uncapped midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
and goalkeeper John Ruddy have been added onto the 23-man finals squad. Rio
Ferdinand will also be missing out while Scott Parker is injured though
included and Kyle Walker is out of consideration due to a toe injury.
xiv)
Denmark
a)
Anders Lindegaard, Manchester United’s goalkeeper,
has been included in the side while Nicolai Boilesen will be unable to attend. Thomas
Kahlenberg is probably the most surprising addition to the squad though two or
three spaces remain to be handed out. Jannik Vestergaard and Nicklas Pedersen
are potential challengers to the last spots on the team.
xv)
Czech Republic
a)
While Tomas Rosicky’s recovery is still in the
works of taking place, a provisional player has taken his place: Vladimir
Darida. Frantisek Rajtoral, Marek Suchy and Daniel Kolar are other
options for the side. While keeper Petr Cech will probably be starting after
his performance in the Champions League Final, Jaroslav Drobny and Tomas Grigar
are just some of the names being thrown around. Jan Lastukka will probably be
on the team should either of the other goalies drop out.
xvi)
Croatia
a)
While this will be Slaven Bilic’s last tournament
at the head of the Croatian national team, he has named a competitive 27-man
provisional squad.
99) My take: What I’d like to see
i)
Group A
a)
Russia and the Czech Republic advance
ii)
Group B
a)
Germany and the Netherlands advance
iii)
Group C
a)
Spain and Italy advance
iv)
Group D
a)
France and Sweden advance
v)
Quarter-Finals
a)
Russia – Netherlands: Russia wins.
b)
Spain – Sweden: Spain wins.
c)
Germany – Czech Republic: Germany wins.
d)
France – Italy: Italy wins.
vi)
Semi-Finals
a)
Russia – Spain: Spain wins.
b)
Germany – Italy: Germany wins.
vii)
Final
a)
Spain – Germany: Germany wins.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Some more titles for you!
And France's league title has been decided! New boys to the block Montpellier Herault SC survived an early goal down to end up one ahead against the bottom team of the league AJ Auxerre. The result put their name on the French domestic league title trophy for the first time in their club's history! The magic came from John Utaka as he proceeded to strike twice, saving Montpellier's title as their closest rivals PSG FC came from behind to defeat FC Lorient 2-1 to keep the two-way challenge alive. PSG thus remain 3 points behind though convincingly in second position. While Montpellier's match was paused with the score line 1-1 after Olivier Kapo opened for Auxerre and Utaka scored his first. He struck the award-winning second in the 76th minute to the immense delight of their fans. The fact that they secured 50 points in their 19 home matches was incredibly influential in their title success. Meanwhile, over in Italy the Coppa Italia was fought over between two of the excellent sides of this season: SSC Napoli and Juventus. Having secured the domestic title quite convincingly, Juve may have been the favorites playing in Rome. However, the sde from Naples should never be underestimated as they illustrated yesterday: after just two minutes they had threatened the Juve goal which had as its protector the team's stand-in: Marco Storari. Napoli had to defend themselves as well though! And so, the first half concluded just as it had started 0-0. Alessandro Del Piero put in a good shift as Juve's captain in what very well might be his last game for the side. Nevertheless, around the 60th minute Juve's goalie brought down Napoli's Ezequiel Lavezzi inside the box to give Edinson Cavani a wonderful opportunity to give Napoli the lead over the unbeaten Serie A winners. Juve proceeded to go on the offensive with several opportunities though the next goal came once more on their own side! Goran Pandev played a beautiful ball to Marek Hamsik who dutifully slotted it into the bottom corner. Even when Napoli's Fabio Quagliarella was sent-off late in the match the side from Turin couldn't even draw one back.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Bayern v.s. Chelsea: Champions League Final
It was a thrilling match, at least at the end. Bayern once more had the lion's share of the opportunities but somehow found themselves lacking in front of goal. By the end of the first half we had all only been shown the fact that Mario Gomez isn't always the most reliable striker. Having said that, Chelsea were, while on the downside of the opportunities on the upside when it came to potential: always threatening to counter on top of intelligent defending. Bayern's incredible advantage of possession and opportunities continued well into the second half, culminating in Thomas Muller's 83rd header into the net after a sweet cross from Toni Kroos. Everything looked wrapped up with the crowd celebrating and Bayern themselves looking quite rightly happy. Jubilation was cut short though. Didier Drogba equalized for the English side from the team's first corner of the match, from Juan Mata. Heading the ball past Bayern's Manuel Neuer, the Ivorian cemented his name in the legacy of the London club. On to extra time where Bayern once more had the best chances with the most obvious coming in the 95th minute when Drogba proceeded to foul in the penalty box giving Arjen Robben the opportunity to give the Germans a potentially vital lead. Instead, the Dutchman had his strike saved by Petr Cech who guessed correctly and dived to deny the shot. Following this, Bayern seemed to lack imagination as extra time ran out and the game moved on to penalties. Lahm, Gomez, and even Neuer were able to make their respective shots while Juan Mata missed Chelsea's first chance. David Luiz and Lampard were successful in their attempts while Bayern's Olic was denied. Chelsea's Cole and Drogba both succeeded on either side of Schweinsteiger's mishap off the post leaving Chelsea in the lead at the end of the night. An historic night with Chelsea becoming the first London club to win the title, securing their place in the competition for next year, and shattering the hopes of their hosts.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Women's Champions League Final
France's Olympique Lyon and Germany's Frankfurt faced-off in the Women's Champion's Leagues Final in Munich in front of 50,212 adoring fans. The first goal came in the 15th minute with Eugenie Le Sommer putting the ball away past Frankfurt's Desiree Schumann. While the reason for the penalty was questionable, the goal itself was accomplished masterfully. 1-0 for Lyon. Just 13 minutes later we had the second goal from Camille Abily who collected a cleared ball and lobbed it expertly into the back of the net for a second goal for the French side. The first half finished rather uneventfully while the second saw no more action either as the game ended with the ladies of Lyon in perfect control: with total attempts roughly 21 to 10, the Germans were completely outplayed after the first 15 minutes. Congratulations to both teams for making it a Final to remember!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
European U-17 Final!
The tournament this year was quite thrilling as Germany and the Netherlands faced-off in the Final in a breathtaking display. Both sides managed to strike blows as Germany's captain Leon Goretzka gave his side the lead in the 45th minute. Through some intense battling the Germans managed to keep that lead until the 81st minute when Elton Acolatse managed to control a free ball at the back post of the German net and volleyed emphatically to send the game to penalties. The sides were level in penalties until the Netherland's goalkeeper Nick Olij saved Marc Stendera's shot to give his side a back-to-back victory after being the current holders. Having said that, the Germans really should have wrapped it up before penalties: Germany had a total of 13 opportunities to the Netherlands' 7 while also receiving more corners (6 to 2). Congratulations to the Dutch though! We'll see if this is only a precursor to their performance at the top-level of the Euro Cup this summer!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
A look at the Champions League Final.
So, we all know that Bayern will be hosting Chelsea in this year's edition of the Champions League Final. While I'm sure everyone has their respective favorites, how about we look at some statistics? As far as goal-scorers go, Bayern have Mario Gomez who has lifted them with a total of 12 goals in the tournament. Chelsea on the other hand have Didier Drogba who has struck a total of 5 times. Mario Gomez also has a ton of opportunities with 29 attempts on target. Those statistics may be very significant in the upcoming showdown given Chelsea's panache for tough defending. Bayern again have the advantage in assisting players though it's a narrow margin with Franck Ribery accomplishing 5 for Bayern to Fernando Torres' 4. As far as the teams as a whole, Bayern have scored a goal more than the London side while also allowing a goal less than their opponents. So far as attempts on target, Bayern have a significant advantage with 90 compared to Chelsea's 78. The numbers do a startling reverse when it comes to attempts off-target with Chelsea amassing 83 to Bayern's 65. Chelsea appear to have more of an issue with off-sides calls as they have exactly double Bayern's 16 off-side calls. Bayern seems to get more corners with 63 to Chelsea's 51. When it comes to discipline Bayern seem to foul more though they receive relatively the same level of cards as their English opposition. Bayern also seem to generally have a bit more possession though there is only a 4% difference between them and Chelsea who have 52% of possession on average. Looking more in-depth at the clubs, Bayern's goals seem to come excessively from Gomez with 12 compared to Arjen Robben's 4, Franck Ribery's 3, Ivica Olic's 2, and Toni Kroos' 2 as well. Having come up through the play-off rounds, Bayern have won 10 of their games, drawing once, and losing 3 times. As for Chelsea, with Drogba at the top scoring 5, he is followed by Torres who has amassed 3, Frank Lampard who has scored thrice, Ramires as well, and Saloman Kalou who has struck twice. Their record has been 6 wins, 2 draws, and a pair of losses. The last factor to look at is player availability: it all comes down to whether a player will actually be on the field to make a difference. Thanks to the yellow card ruling, both sides will be missing out on some significant players: Chelsea will be missing Raul Mereiles, Ramires, John Terry, and Branislav Ivanovic. As for Bayern, they will be without Luiz Gustavo, David Alaba, and Holger Badstuber. What does all this mean? Well, frankly, absolutely nothing! We'll have to wait and see how things turn out however I wouldn't be surprised to see Germany' Bayern Munich take top honors in what is sure to be a close match. Enjoy!
Very very short post.
Well in this pot I write about just two matches: one from England and one from Sweden. In the former, Liverpool faced Chelsea and stomped them into the ground with a final score of 4-1. Meanwhile in the latter AIK posted a 1-1 draw with Djurgarden in a much closer match. Beginning with the Liverpool-Chelsea match, Michael Essien accidentally scored an own goal in the 19th minute to give Liverpool a 1-0 lead. Jordan Henderson made it 2-0 for Liverpool in the 25th while Daniel Agger made it 3-0 just 3 minutes later. A potential cause for such a score line before the 30 minute marker may have been the fact that Chelsea were running out Ross Turnbull, a substitute goalie. However, the fact that this kind of result would plant them in 6th makes it interesting to see how motivated Chelsea will be in the Champions League Final. But that wasn't all today! Ramires made it 3-1 in the 50th minute for Chelsea before Jonjo Shelvey wrapped things up with his 61st minute goal. On to Sweden now where AIK and Djurgarden squared off with the away side actually making all the goals. Following a dull 1st half, Petter Gustafsson's 58th minute strike was wonderful for the visiting Djurgarden side. However, Marc Pedersen struck an own goal in the 89th minute to salvage AIK's hopes for opening the season well. Have a good week!
Monday, May 7, 2012
Some leagues wrap-up, others don't.
This time around I would like to start off with the Italian Serie A: Juventus sealed their first title since 2003 with 81 points from 37 games. AC Milan finished in 2nd with 77 points while Udinese Calcio had 61 in 3rd position. S.S. Lazio finished in 4th with 59 points while Napoli rounded out the Top Five with a better goal difference than Inter Milan who had the same amount of points in 6th: 58. Roma were in 7th with 53 while the bottom five were as follows: Cagliari Calcio in 16th with 42, Genoa in 17th with 39, Lecce in 18th with 36, Novara Calcio with 32 points in 19th while Cesena rounded out the table with 22 points. Spain is wrapping things up with Real Madrid reveling in their untouchable position at the top of the table with 97 points to their name. Barcelona currently have 90 in 2nd. As far as where any movement could actually happen, it probably isn't in 3rd which Valencia have quite solidly nailed down. Malaga hold 4th by a thread with 55 points to Atletico de Madrid's 53 and 6th place Mallorca's 52. 7th position Levante similarly have 52 points to their name. As for the bottom five, Villarreal have managed to grab 16th with 41 points to Rayo Vallecano de Madrid's 40 in 17th. Real Zaragoza have 40 as well but a lesser goal difference. Sporting Gijon have 37 in 19th while Racing Club are down and out with just 27 points. Over to England where, with one game left Manchester City look to be in a fantastic position to win the league just out of grasp of their cross-town rival United: tied on 86 points, City's goal difference is simply superior to that of United. The fact that City play at home while United play away tips things in their favor as well. Arsenal are well behind and not too secure in 3rd with 67 points while 4th place Tottenham are just a point behind. Newcastle are in 5th with 65. And what about the other big names? Chelsea are in 6th with 61 points; Liverpool are down to 9th with just 49 points to their name. As for the bottom five Aston Villa fell two behind 15th position Wigan (who have 40 points) while QPR have 37. Bolton are in similarly desperate straits with just 35 points while Balckburn and Wolves are going down no matter their best efforts with 31 and 25 points respectively. As for the title race in Germany, it really hasn't been a source of much contention: Dortmund held 81 points at the top, Bayern are well behind them with 73 while Schalke managed to hold on to 3rd position with 64 points. Borussia Monchengladbach gave them a run for their money though with 60 points and a great performance from the side. Bayer Leverkusen round up the Top Five while the bottom five have been solidified: Augsburg in 14th with 38, Hamburger SV two points behind them, Hertha Berlin in 16th with 31 while Koln have one less and Kaiserslautern suffered at the bottom with 23. Russia appears to have been captured by Zenit St. Petersburg who amassed 85 points from 43 matches played with a game to play. Spartak Moskva and CSKA Moskva each have 72 while Dinamo Moskva is just behind them in 4th. Darkhorses Anzhi Makhachkala managed to break into the Top Five with 70 points and the opportunity to even jump to 2nd! The bottom five positions in the Russian league fill out thus: Krylya Sovetov Samara in 12th with 50, Rostov two points below them in 13th, Volga Nizhny Novgorod holding 14th with 41 while Tom Tomsk and Spartak Nalchik ended up in 15th and 16th with 34 and 33 points respectively. Back to temperate Portugal now where Porto claimed another league title with 72 points while Benfica hold 2nd comfortably with 66. Braga broke into the Top Three with 62 points while Sporting Lisbon have 56 in 4th. Maritimo took 49 points from the first 29 games. At the bottom of the table, Beira-Mar have dropped to 12th with 29 points while Rio Ave are in 13th with 28. Academica de Coimbra ended up in 14th with 26 while Feirense in 15th 2 points adrift and Leiria in the helpless position of bottom of the table with 19 points. Last but not least, in the Netherlands, Ajax grabbed the league title with 76 points, 6 more than 2nd position Feyenoord. Eindhoven ended just a point behind them in 3rd while Alkmaar made an impressive run into 4th. A point behind them in 5th, Heerenveen managed 64 to cap a decent year for the side. As for the bottom five Groningen have 37 in 14th while Den Haag had just 32. Venlo were a point and a place behind as De Graafschap were left in 17th with 24. Excelsior's 19 points in 18th was the low point though.
Friday, May 4, 2012
The Young Whippersnappers of Europe.
And they are off! The U-17 European Championship is underway with the Germans edging Georgia 0-1 thanks to Max Meyer's 59th minute shot and some excellent goal-tending from the German number one Oliver Schnitzler. Germany in the end deserved the victory: 13 attempts to Georgia's 5 and coming back from being arguably out-performed in a goalless 1st half. Meanwhile, Group B opened with the Poles nosing ahead of their Belgian opposition. Mariusz Stepinski was the man to provide that breakthrough in the 65th minute after a match that really could have gone either way. As I post this, Group A is concluding their last pairing of the day with France currently leading Iceland 1-0 following Mohamed Chemlal's 7th minute strike that opened the 1st half. France have continued to dominate the rest of the half. Over in Group B, their last game is the first to have broken the two goal margin - with two superb goals from the Netherlands against Slovenia. The first Dutch goal came from Rai Vloet in the 13th minute while the 2nd was struck in the 35th minute by Jeoren Lumu following a beautiful set-up from Wouter Marinus. The Netherlands leads going into the half 0-2. Try to watch some of the youth action!
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Europa League Final set.
And the Final has been set! After a mash-up of 3 Spanish sides and a Portuguese side in the Europa League Semi-Finals we have come down to this: Valencia lost to Atletico Madrid 0-1 in their 2nd leg match concluding an aggregate scoreline of 2-5 in favor of the side from Madrid. Adrian Lopez was the man who struck what was essentially the decider in the 60th minute of a game that was otherwise uneventful. Having said that, Atletico's captain Tiago was sent-off in the 79th minute in what may be significant in their Final performance. Meanwhile, Athletic Bilbao surprised visiting Sporting Lisbon with Markel Susaeta striking in the 17th minute. Ricky van Wolfswinkel equalized for Sporting in the 44th though - in a foretaste of what was to come - Ibai Gomez gave Athletic the lead in the 1st minute of stoppage time of the 1st half! The 2nd half was far less eventful, though Fernando Llorente struck the winning goal in the 88th minute: aggregate scoreline of 4-3 for the Spanish side over the team from Lisbon.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Update!
We have had a ton of action this week with changes at the top of several leagues around Europe! Probably most prominent, Manchester City have drawn level with their city rivals United at the top of the English Premier League actually going ahead by goal difference with 83 points apiece. Arsenal have appeared to solidify their position in 3rd since they have a 4 point lead over 4th position Tottenham who have 62 points to their name. Newcastle are level with Tottenham though, promising an exciting end-of-season final leg between those two in the race for 4th. Always a threat, Chelsea are behind those two with 61 points. The Spanish league contest appears to have been decided as Barcelona will dream about what could have been in 2nd place while Real Madrid occupy the pole position with 7 points between themselves and the Catalans (with 91 and 84 points respectively). Valencia and Malaga are then in a race for 3rd with 55 points each. The former currently lead on goal difference. In 5th with a threadbare advantage are Levante who have done very well for themselves this season. They have 52 points in their favor. On to Italy now where Juventus lead AC Milan by 3 points with both sides holding a game in hand over 3rd place Napoli. While Juve and AC have 77 and 74 points respectively, the team from Naples have managed 58 points from 36 games. Udinese Calcio, Inter Milan, and Lazio may each draw with this position depending on their up-coming fixtures. Each of them presently have 55 points from 35 matches. Roma are still in the fight, though in 7th, since they hold 52 points from 36 games played - it isn't a great position but it is better than nothing. On to Germany now where Dortmund have an 8 point lead over 2nd position Bayern who hold 70 points from 33 matches. It's a decent position for both sides with the Bavarians worrying about their upcoming Champions League Final date with Chelsea while the team from NordRhein-Westfallen happy to maintain their domestic dominance. Schalke are relatively secure in 3rd with 61 points though they don't seem to be in a good position to break into the Top Two. Monchengladbach are in 4th with 57 points, most likely secure from dropping into 5th though they will be tested to make it into 3rd as well. Having said that, 4th position will be perfectly amenable to 'gladbach. Bayer Leverkusen occupy 5th with 51 points with stiff competition from 6th place Stuttgart who are just a point behind them. In Scotland Celtic have reclaimed and entrenched themselves at the top of the league table after a less-than-average start this season. Today though they have 87 points in 1st compared to Ranger's 66 points in 2nd position. Motherwell are actually relatively close to challenging the Glasgow side from 3rd position with their 61 points. Dundee United and St. Johnstone make up the last two positions in the Top Five. Last but not least, France is led by this year's surprise team: Montipellier who have 72 points compared to 2nd place PSG's 67. Lille are in 3rd with 65 points from 34 games while traditional powerhouses of the past few seasons Lyon have been relegated to 5th place with just 56 points. One behind 4th position Stade Rennais who have 57. Hope the season hasn't been too harsh!
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